OT: water

Jan  --  For us folks on another side of the globe, what's grey water?  --
Griff
Water has become a central issue for us here in southern Australia. we think about it constantly. It was an important issue in our State elections last week in Victoria. Water has been privatised and small towns like ours, that had provided themselves with a reliable water source that should last for decades, now find themselves under control of greedy companies, who have been given the power to take over small community reservoirs, and pipe them to areas in supposedly "greater" need. Those people in new housing subdivisions who like to flush the water away in large quantities, or pour it down their driveways, after washing their cars, or watering their bland patches of green. Grey water is just as much an issue. Industry produces it in enormous volumes. Some larger towns are currently building grey water recycling plants, so such water does not simply wash out in the rivers.
Here we are on town water supply but with stage 4 restrictions in place, no watering of the garden is allowed at all. We are also fortuantely on a septic system, so our black water is treated in the septic tank and runs out into transpiration beds. My siberian, spuria and species water loving irises enjoy this underground water, as do my fruit trees. My bearded irises remain unwatered for most of the year, including pots, but at this time of year I have several hundred pots of medians, newly planted rhizomes, and seedlings which need watering.
Earlier this year, we acquired a 45 acre country property, with an old farm house, and bore water supply. I am currently moving my pots up the hill to this property (6 minutes drive away), where I am also growing my vegetables this year. The water is sweet, which means it is slightly alkaline, and most suitable for bearded iris. The cattle love the taste, as do our dogs, but the slight blueness is offputting. Probable copper or iron sulphates.
Here at home, I have installed 2 more 22KL tanks, so now have storage capacity for about 70KL of water. Thats around 15,500 gallons. That will be ample storage in even a less than average year, to keep my acre of garden going. I currently have close to 20,000 litres, which I am using sparingly. My potted japanese iris sit in trays of water, which I top up from the tank. I use tank water sparingly on the fernery and other precious plants. I use what grey water I have time to work with.
Colleen - you might be interested in my method of collecting shower water. I bought a 70L black rectangular box from Hardware House, and stand in it while showering. I then bucket the water out to my plants, or use it to flush the toilet, so saving the fresh water that normally goes to waste.
I DO cheat a little. I think if I am doing so much to save water, then I can take a few buckets full of fresh water to those things that most need it. In particular, my pacific coast irises in pots in the shade house, as they would not cope with the soapy alkaline grey water, or the bore water.
Betty's method of watering from the bottom is the best of course, but when you have close to 1000 pots to deal with, and a full time job, it is not possible.
We live in a country that has laways been water poor, so we are going to have to become very resourcefull of we are to survive with our growing population, particularly in dryer country areas. 

Cheers, Jan in Southern Australia.

_________________________________________________________________
Advertisement: Fresh jobs daily. Stop waiting for the newspaper. Search Now! www.seek.com.au http://a.ninemsn.com.au/b.aspx?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fninemsn%2Eseek%2Ecom%2Eau&_t=757263760&_r=Hotmail_EndText_Dec06&_m=EXT 

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index